Search Strategies for Finding the Best Evidence

Objectives

Overview

Searching: Art and Science

Search Strategy Planning

Search tools

Librarians and libraries

Working with a librarian

Knowledge Sources used in Evidence Based Practice

Databases and indexes

20th Century Nursing Information Access

Health Sciences Databases

National Library of Medicine databases http://www.nlm.nih.gov/

MEDLINE:

MEDLINE database

Slide 16

International Nursing Index

MEDLINE Access from NLM

HealthSTAR

CINAHL®

  RNdex™

Nursing journal coverage

Thesaurus comparisons
(see handout)

Beyond MeSH

Nursing: holistic response

In other words:

Medical vs. Nursing Concerns

MEDLINE strengths

MEDLINE Nursing Limitations

CINAHL strengths

CINAHL limitations

RNdex

Additional databases

Finding databases

Databases with full-text

Evidence based practice resources

Citation and Psychosocial databases

PsycINFO

News/Current Awareness

Research in progress

Books, audiovisuals, and software

Consumer Health databases

Questions before moving on?

Finding the best evidence

Boolean =
Combining Concepts

MEDLINE and CINAHL Indexing practices and unique record features

 MEDLINE practices

MEDLINE searches

MEDLINE questions?

CINAHL practices

Unique CINAHL features

CINAHL Full Text

Sample CINAHL searches

Nursing Classification Terms

Where is the research?

CINAHL questions?

Search Strategy review

Read more about it:

Enhancing research dissemination: Help others find your work!

Slide 60

Keys to dissemination

More reading:

Final questions?